Viva los vegetables! For all the culinary differences of opinion that exist between vegetarians and non-vegetarians, the truth is they share a love of vegetables — or at least a love and need for their nutritional value. So does Spanish cuisine, which has a strong appreciation of vegetables, from tomatoes and bell peppers to potatoes and zucchini, onions, garlic, asparagus, eggplant, spinach, cabbage, cucumbers, artichokes, mushrooms and green beans. And the cuisine also uses plenty of such legumes, as chickpeas and lentils or white beans.

This isn’t to say that Spain has a history of a predominantly vegetarian diet, because it doesn’t. The Spanish are hearty meat, poultry and seafood eaters as well. But what it does mean is that Spanish cuisine includes vegetarian recipes that have long pleased the taste buds of non-vegetarians.

“The first vegetarian dish that comes to mind is Spanish tortilla. You get your protein, your vegetables and it appeals to people who are non-vegetarian as well,” says Rene Rodriguez, chef and co-owner of the award-winning Ottawa Spanish restaurant, Navarra. “The classic tortilla has onion, potato and eggs but if you go to Spain, you find tortilla with peas, chorizo. You could add chopped mushrooms, anything.”

Tortilla de patata can be cut up in small pieces and served as a Spanish appetizer — known as a tapa — or it can be served in larger pieces as a main dish accompanied by salad, for example, or with another traditional Spanish dish called pisto — a medley of onion, green peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and, if desired, eggplant. There’s also patatas bravas.

“We parboil the potatoes whole, peel them, chop them and then we fry them in olive oil and we do a basic sauce with tomato, a little bit of vinegar, a bit of garlic and then we put the potatoes with the sauce and a bit of pimenton (Spanish paprika). That again is a classic tapa that’s vegetarian,” Mr. Rodriguez says. “Another one that comes to mind starts with Spanish Manchego cheese. We wrap it with membrillo [Spanish quince jelly] and we put it on Crostini with a sliver of roasted red pepper.”

What’s more, some non-vegetarian Spanish recipes can be easily adapted into vegetarian dishes. Traditional Spanish paella, of course, is a seafood specialty that, Mr. Rodriguez says, can only authentically be prepared in its homeland of Valencia — with freshly caught seafood — but it’s easy to make a vegetarian version at home. “I had a paella of mushrooms in Barcelona, made with mushrooms, peas, onion and potatoes in the rice with the saffron,” he says. “Or you could do a black rice with squid ink — there’s no meat product, just the ink of the squid to make the rice black.”

Imagination, creativity and innovation are very much part of Spanish cuisine today, so there’s no reason why Canadians at home can’t experiment with traditional recipes to give them a vegetarian ole! In fact, Mr. Rodriguez, who was born in Ottawa and spent his childhood in Mexico before returning to Canada to become a professional and award-winning chef, fell in love with Spanish cuisine about five years ago because of its innovation and complexities. He has been travelling to Spain regularly ever since to keep learning more about the cuisine and share ideas and philosophies with other chefs there.

“When I opened Navarra in 2008, I said we’re going to do very modern cuisine but keep it Spanish and real. We use all the real Spanish ingredients,” Mr. Rodriguez says. “The saffron, the Spanish paprika — the basis of our cuisine is very Spanish. In terms of the fresh produce, of course, we use local.”

So, by all means, make a mushroom or an asparagus and green beans paella but beware: if you don’t use real Spanish saffron, it isn’t paella. It’s yellow-coloured rice with veggies that is missing the key and unique flavour of Spanish saffron. “There are many places in Canada now that sell the real Spanish ingredients,” Mr. Rodriguez says. “Ten years ago that wasn’t the case. But more and more people are appreciating the good products of the country.”

TORTILLA DE PATATA

Ingredients

4 large potatoes, peeled

1 onion

8 large eggs

2-3 cups of olive oil for pan frying

Salt to taste

Preparation

Cut onion into thin slices. Cut the peeled potatoes in half, crosswise. Place each potato half, flat side down, in a food processor food slot and slice into thin, round slices using the slicing disk.

In a large, no-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil to medium high. Carefully place onion and fry for about a minute. Add potatoes.

The oil should almost cover the potatoes. You might have to adjust the heat to avoid burning. Turn the mixture frequently.

When the potato and onion mixture is cooked (you want to make sure the potato is very soft), remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Place the mixture in a colander for a few minutes to drain excess oil.

Mix the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Do not overbeat. Add salt to taste. Add potato and onion mixture. Mix well.

Put two tbsp of olive oil into a nine- or 10-inch cast iron pan and heat on medium heat. Make sure oil is evenly spread on bottom of pan. Add the egg and potato mixture to frying pan and spread evenly.

Run a knife around the edges to make sure the potato/egg mixture doesn’t stick to the sides of the pan. Gently shake pan back and forth to prevent sticking on bottom.

Cook about eight to 10 minutes until bottom side is cooked then place a large dinner plate upside down over the frying pan and with one hand on the frying pan handle and the other on top of the plate, quickly flip the frying pan over so the tortilla is on the plate. (This is best done over a sink as the top part will still be somewhat runny.)

Place the frying pan back on the stove and slide the tortilla onto the frying pan with the runny side down. Cook for about five to eight minutes at medium low heat. Repeat the process of flipping the tortilla onto a clean dinner plate to serve. It can be flipped again as needed to ensure the tortilla is cooked through to the centre.